Optical transceiver and data mapping method using thereof

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an optical transceiver. The optical transceiver includes a decoder for decoding an 8B10B line-coded signal; a data mapper for separating the decoded signal into block units and securing extra memory capacity by mapping a data code and a block information code onto each of the separated blocks; and an FEC encoding unit for creating a Forward Error Correction (FEC) data and mapping the FEC data onto the extra memory capacity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an optical transceiver and a data mapping method using thereof.

Background of the Related Art

Ethernet is initially used as a method of connecting and communicating a plurality of computers with each other in an office or a small space, and such a communication network is frequently referred to as a Local Area Network (LAN).

Since the Ethernet generally performs data communications using a shared medium, a Media Access Control (MAC) protocol should be performed, and a CSMA/CD method defined in IEEE 802.3 is used in a wired Ethernet.

Although a 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps class Ethernet is the mainstream in the initial stage, transmission speed thereof has been increased at an incredibly rapid pace in the last several years, and standardization of a 100G Ethernet beyond gigabit Ethernets has been completed and put into use currently.

In addition, the Ethernet is used even in a transmission area within some tens of kilometers out of an existing office area, and at this point, optical fiber cables are mainly used as a transmission medium. Particularly, the gigabit Ethernet is frequently used as an extremely effective data communication technique in a section which needs a small amount of transmission.

Since transmission through an optical fiber is not a transmission using a shared medium, a Media Access Control technique of a CSMA/CD method is not used. That is, in such a communication network, data are transmitted by only using a frame structure unique to the Ethernet and an Inter Packet gap (IGP).

A representative signal which uses an 8B10B code is a gigabit Ethernet signal, in which MAC level transmission speed of the gigabit Ethernet is 1 Gbps, and 8B10B is used as a line code for transmission. An 8B10B signal is a signal having a DC-free feature, and it is used together with some control codes to distinguish boundaries of Ethernet MAC frames or as an IDLE pattern and the like. IEEE 802.3 defines twelve types of special codes.

Meanwhile, since a SONET/SDH system mainly for long haul transmission basically defines a digital hierarchy for the sake of voices, it is difficult to accept packet signals of the Ethernet or the like. However, ITU-T has standardized Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) around in the year 2000. A related recommendation is ITU-T G.7041. There are two types of GFPs, and one is GFP-F, which is a method of extracting only Ethernet packets from an Ethernet signal and transferring Ethernet packet information excluding preambles from the packets by mapping the Ethernet packet information to GFP packets as is.

The other one is a GFP-T method, in which an Ethernet signal is processed at the 8B10B code level without extracting the Ethernet packets.

Recently, even a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) signal or the like used between a base station and a remote station uses an 8B10B code. Most of Common Public Radio Interface signals are transmitted through an optical fiber cable, and transmission distance thereof is some tens of kilometers in average, and since a large number of optical connectors or the like are used by the nature of network configuration, loss of optical signals is increased, and thus probability of generating a transmission error is increased. Accordingly, in this case, it needs to improve transmission performance by applying a Forward Error Correction (FEC) technique or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical transceiver for providing a frame structure capable of performing Forward Error Correction (FEC) without degrading transmission speed or changing bandwidth, and a data mapping method using thereof.

To accomplish the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical transceiver including: a decoder for decoding an 8B10B line-coded signal; a data mapper for separating the decoded signal into block units and securing extra memory capacity by mapping a data code and a block information code onto each of the separated blocks; and an FEC encoding unit for creating a Forward Error Correction (FEC) data and mapping the FEC data onto the extra memory capacity.

The number of bits of the extra memory capacity may be determined as a value calculated by subtracting the number of bits of the data code and the block information code from the total number of bits of each of the blocks before decoding.

The optical transceiver may further include a framer for forming a frame by mapping a plurality of blocks, onto which the Forward Error Correction data is mapped, to a GFP frame.

The framer may create an overhead signal and map the overhead signal onto the extra memory capacity.

The data mapper may separate the decoded signal into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and secure the extra memory capacity by mapping sixty four bits of data code and one to fifteen bits of block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

The data mapper may separate the decoded signal into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and secure fifteen bits of extra memory capacity by mapping sixty four bits of data code and one bit of block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

The data mapper may separate the decoded signal into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and secure ten bits of extra memory capacity by mapping sixty four bits of data code and six bits of block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

The optical transceiver may further include a demultiplexer for splitting the 8B10B line-coded signal into a plurality of parallel signals and transferring the split signals to the decoder.

The optical transceiver may further include a multiplexer for multiplexing the frames into a serial signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data mapping method including: a decoding step of decoding an 8B10B line-coded signal; a data mapping step of separating the decoded signal into block units and securing extra memory capacity by mapping a data code and a block information code onto each of the separated blocks; and an FEC encoding step of creating a Forward Error Correction (FEC) data and mapping the FEC data onto the extra memory capacity.

The number of bits of the extra memory capacity may be determined as a value calculated by subtracting the number of bits of the data code and the block information code from the total number of bits of each of the blocks before decoding.

The data mapping method may further include a framing step of forming a frame by mapping a plurality of blocks, onto which the Forward Error Correction data is mapped, to a GFP frame.

The framing step may include a step of creating an overhead signal and mapping the overhead signal onto the extra memory capacity.

The data mapping method may further include, before the decoding step, the step of splitting the 8B10B line-coded signal into a plurality of parallel signals.

The data mapping method may further include the step of multiplexing the frames into a serial signal.

The data mapping step may separate the decoded signal into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and secure the extra memory capacity by mapping sixty four bits of data code and one to fifteen bits of block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

The data mapping step may separate the decoded signal into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and secure fifteen bits of extra memory capacity by mapping sixty four bits of data code and one bit of block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

The data mapping step may separate the decoded signal into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and secure ten bits of extra memory capacity by mapping sixty four bits of data code and six bits of block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the operation of an optical transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of a frame formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a view comparing a frame formed according to an embodiment of the present invention with an input signal.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the operation of an optical transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical transceiver according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS

-   -   10, 20, 30: Optical transceiver     -   11, 21, 110, 210: Demultiplexer     -   12,120: Decoder     -   13, 130: Data mapper     -   14, 23, 140: FEC encoding unit     -   15, 150: Framer     -   16, 26, 160, 260: Multiplexer     -   22, 220: Deframer     -   24, 240: Data demapper     -   25, 250: Encoder

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As the present invention allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the written description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to particular modes of practice, and it is to be appreciated that all changes, equivalents, and substitutes that do not depart from the spirit and technical scope of the present invention are encompassed in the present invention.

It will be understood that, although the terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when a constitutional component is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion.

The terms used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meanings as those generally understood by those with ordinary knowledge in the field of art to which the present invention belongs. Such terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary are to be interpreted to have the meanings equal to the contextual meanings in the relevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted to have ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined in the present application.

Hereafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or corresponding constitutional components regardless of symbols of the drawings, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an optical transceiver 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a demultiplexer (DMUX) 11, a decoder 12, a data mapper 13, an FEC encoding unit 14, a framer 15 and a multiplexer (MUX) 16.

First, the demultiplexer 11 receives and splits an 8B10B line-coded signal into a plurality of parallel signals and transfers the split signals to the decoder 12.

The demultiplexer 11, for example, transfers a plurality of parallel signals created by separating an input client signal by the unit of ten bits to the decoder 12.

The decoder 12 decodes the plurality of 8B10B line-coded parallel signals.

The decoder 12 decodes the 8B10B line-coded signals into 8-bit signals by removing line codes from the 8B10B line-coded signals and transfers the decoded signals to the data mapper 13.

The data mapper 13 separates the decoded signals into block units and secures extra memory capacity by mapping a data code and a block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

The data mapper 13, for example, separates the decoded signals into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and secures extra memory capacity by mapping sixty four bits of data code and one to fifteen bits of block information code onto each of the separated blocks.

The number of bits of the extra memory capacity is determined as a value calculated by subtracting the number of bits of the data code and the block information code from the total number of bits of each of the blocks before decoding.

That is, when eight 8-bit signals are separated as a block unit, the number of bits of the extra memory capacity is determined as a value calculated by subtracting sixty four bits of the data code and x bits of the block information code from eighty bits of the total number of bits of each of the blocks before decoding.

The FEC encoding unit 14 creates a Forward Error Correction (FEC) data and maps the FEC data onto the extra memory capacity.

The FEC encoding unit 14 creates parity bytes by performing a Forward Error Correction encoding process on the input signal and maps the created parity bytes onto the extra memory capacity.

The FEC encoding unit 14, for example, may create the parity bytes, which are Forward Error Correction encoded data, by performing a Reed-Solomon encoding process on the input signal.

The framer 15 forms a frame by mapping a plurality of blocks, onto which the Forward Error Correction data are mapped, to a Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) frame.

The framer 15 forms a frame by periodically mapping a plurality of blocks, onto which the Forward Error Correction data are mapped, to a GFP frame in a method of processing an OE-converted signal itself at a Constant Bit Rate (CBR) and mapping the processed signal onto a GFP frame using a Generic Framing Procedure-Transparent (GFP-T) method.

The framer 15 forms an overhead signal and maps the overhead signal onto the extra memory capacity.

The framer 15 creates the overhead signal as much as required for signal processing and maps the created overhead signal to the extra memory capacity.

The multiplexer 16 multiplexes the frames into a serial signal and outputs the serial signal.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the operation of an optical transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2(a), first, the demultiplexer splits an input 8B10B signal into a plurality of parallel signals separated by the unit of ten bits.

Referring to FIG. 2(b), the decoder decodes a plurality of parallel signals into 8-bit signals by removing line codes from the parallel signals and transfers the decoded signals to the data mapper.

The decoder decodes an input signal into an original 8-bit value if the input signal is a code word and decodes the input signal into a 4-bit Control Code Indicator (CCI), 3-bit position information and an extra one bit if the input signal is a control word.

The extra bit of the control code is a Last Control Character (LCC) which includes information on whether or not a subsequent symbol is a control code.

That is, if the LCC is 1, it means that the next symbol is a control code, and if the LCC is 0, it means that the corresponding symbol is the last control code in the block.

The 3-bit position information indicates an original position of a control code within the sequence of eight symbols contained in the block.

At this point, since information on the control code is also removed from the input signal as the line code is removed, a control code is distinguished from a code word through the K signal.

Referring to FIG. 2(c), first, the data mapper separately specifies eight 8-bit signals as one block. The data mapper identifies control codes using K signal and sequentially maps the control codes from the starting point of a block.

The flag bit is a block information code expressing information on whether or not a corresponding block contains a control code, and if the flag bit is 1, it means that a control code exists in the corresponding block.

According to FIG. 2, the data mapper secures fifteen bits of extra memory capacity, which is a subtraction of sixty five bits from eighty bits of the input signal, by mapping sixty four bits of data code and one bit of block information code onto each of the blocks.

That is, 18.75% of the capacity of the input signal can be secured as extra memory capacity, and the FEC encoding unit may create a Forward Error Correction data and map the FEC data onto the secured extra memory capacity.

Referring to FIG. 2(d), eight blocks can be created and processed as a superblock for byte unit processing.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the structure of a frame formed according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view comparing a frame formed according to an embodiment of the present invention with an input signal.

Referring to FIG. 3, the framer forms a frame by mapping a plurality of blocks to a GFP frame, and the OH area means an overhead signal mapped to the extra memory capacity, the payload area means a data code and a block information code, and the FEC area means a Forward Error Correction data mapped to the extra memory capacity.

Referring to FIG. 4, it can be confirmed that the number of bits of an 8B10B signal, which is an input signal, is the same as the total number N of bits of a frame formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The frame formed according to an embodiment of the present invention secures extra memory capacity as much as O+P bits by reconfiguring the 8B10B input signal, and the overhead signal and the Forward Error Correction data can be loaded and transmitted together while maintaining the transmission speed and the bandwidth.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating the operation of an optical transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5(a), the decoder decodes a plurality of parallel signals into 8-bit signals by removing line codes from the parallel signals and transfers the decoded signals to the mapping unit.

Referring to FIG. 5(b), the decoder decodes an input signal into an original 8-bit value if the input signal is a code word and decodes the input signal into a 4-bit Control Code Indicator (CCI), 3-bit position information and an extra one bit if the input signal is a control word.

At this point, since information on the control code is also removed from the input signal as the line code is removed, a control code is distinguished from a code word through the K signal.

Referring to FIG. 5(c), first, the data mapper separately specifies eight 8-bit signals as one block. The data mapper identifies control codes using K signal and sequentially maps the control codes from the starting point of a block.

The data mapper maps information on the number of control codes contained in a corresponding block to a 6-bit block information code.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the LCC and the flag bit are not used, and the number of codes contained in a corresponding block is expressed as a 6-bit binary code.

Referring to FIG. 5(d), the data mapper reconfigures a block to have sixty four bits of data code and six bits of block information code in each unit block by encoding a mapped block by the unit of ten bits.

Referring to FIG. 5(e), the data mapper secures ten bits of extra memory capacity, which is a subtraction of seventy bits from eighty bits of the input signal, by mapping sixty four bits of data code and six bits of block information code onto each of the blocks.

That is, 12.75% of the capacity of the input signal can be secured as extra memory capacity, and the FEC encoding unit may create a Forward Error Correction data and map the FEC data onto the secured extra memory capacity.

In another embodiment of the present invention, since a superblock may not be formed for byte unit processing, time delay can be minimized in performing signal processing at the receiving end.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical transceiver according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, an optical transceiver 20 according to another embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include a demultiplexer (DMUX) 21, a deframer 22, an FEC decoding unit 23, a data demapper 24, an encoder 25 and a multiplexer (MUX) 26.

First, the demultiplexer 21 receives and splits an optical signal into a plurality of parallel signals and transfers the split signals to the deframer.

The deframer 22 analyzes the structure of a GFP frame, extracts an overhead signal and performs signal processing.

The FEC decoding unit 23 decodes a Forward Error Correction data and performs an error correction function.

The signals contained in the payload area are demapped by the data demapper 24, and they are line-coded and output as an 8B10B signal by way of the encoder 25 and the multiplexer 26.

FIG. 6 shows the operation of an optical transceiver described through FIGS. 1 to 5, from the viewpoint of a receiving end, assuming that the optical transceiver may perform both an optical transmitter function and an optical receiver function.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an optical transceiver according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, an optical transceiver 1000 according to another embodiment of the present invention may be configured to include demultiplexers (DMUX) 110 and 210, a decoder 120, a data mapper 130, an FEC encoding unit 140, a framer 150, a deframer 220, an FEC decoding unit 230, a data demapper 240, an encoder 250 and multiplexers 160 and 260.

FIG. 7 shows the operation of an optical transceiver described through FIGS. 1 to 6, from the viewpoint of a transmitting end and a receiving end, assuming the optical transceiver may perform both an optical transmitter function and an optical receiver function.

A term referred to as ‘unit’ used in the embodiment means software or a hardware constitutional component such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an ASIC, and the ‘unit’ performs a certain function. However, the ‘unit’ is a not a meaning limited only to software or hardware. The ‘unit’ may be configured to be stored in an addressable storage medium or may be configured to reproduce one or more processors. Accordingly, for example, the ‘unit’ includes constitutional components such as software constitutional components, object-oriented software constitutional components, class constitutional components and task constitutional components, processors, functions, attributes, procedures, sub-routines, segments of a program code, drivers, drivers, firmware, micro-codes, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. The functions provided in the constitutional components or the ‘units’ may be combined as a smaller number of constitutional components or ‘units’ or may be further separated into additional constitutional components or ‘units’. Furthermore, the constitutional components or ‘units’ may be implemented to reproduce one or more CPUs within a device or a security multimedia card.

An optical transceiver and a data mapping method using thereof may perform Forward Error Correction (FEC) without degrading transmission speed or changing bandwidth.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An optical transceiver comprising: a decoder for decoding an 8B10B line-coded signal; a data mapper dividing a decoded signal from the decoder into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and securing fifteen bits of extra memory capacity as a result of mapping sixty four bits of data code and one bit of block information code into each of the divided block units, a Forward Error Correction (FEC) unit encoding unit for creating an FEC data and mapping the FEC data into the extra memory capacity, wherein the decoder decodes the 8B10B line-coded signal into an original 8-bit value if an input signal is a code word or decodes the 8B10B line-coded signal into a 4-bit Control Code Indicator (CCI), 3-bit position information and an extra one bit if the input signal is a control word, wherein the extra one bit of the control code is a Last Control Character (LCC) which includes information on whether or not a subsequent symbol is a control code, and the 3-bit position information indicates an original position of the control code among a sequence of eight symbols contained in the block, and wherein the data mapper individually specifies eight 8-bit signals as one block and identifies control codes using the block information code and sequentially maps the control codes beginning from the starting point of the block.
 2. The optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein a number of bits of the extra memory capacity is determined as a value calculated by subtracting a number of bits of the data code and the block information code from a total number of bits of the 8B10B line-coded signal before decoding.
 3. The optical transceiver according to claim 1, further comprising a framer for forming a frame by mapping a plurality of blocks, into which the FEC data is mapped, to a Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) frame.
 4. The optical transceiver according to claim 3, wherein the framer creates an overhead signal and maps the overhead signal into the extra memory capacity.
 5. The optical transceiver according to claim 1, further comprising a demultiplexer for splitting the 8B10B line-coded signal into a plurality of parallel signals and transferring split signals to the decoder.
 6. The optical transceiver according to claim 3, further comprising a multiplexer for multiplexing the frame into a serial signal.
 7. A data mapping method comprising: a decoding step of decoding an 8B10B line-coded signal; a data mapping step of dividing a decoded signal from the decoder into block units by combining eight 8-bit signals and securing fifteen bits of extra memory capacity as a result of mapping sixty four bits of data code and one bit of block information code into each of the divided block units; and a FEC encoding step of creating a Forward Error Correction (FEC) data and mapping the FEC data into the extra memory capacity, wherein the decoding step includes a step of decoding the 8B10B line-coded signal into an original 8-bit value if the input signal is a code word or decodes the 8B10B line-coded signal into a 4-bit Control Code Indicator (CCI), 3-bit position information and an extra one bit if the input signal is a control word, wherein the extra one bit of the control code is a Last Control Character (LCC) which includes information on whether or not a subsequent symbol is a control code, and wherein the 3-bit position information indicates an original position of the control code among a sequence of eight symbols contained in the block, and wherein the data mapping step includes a step of individually specifying eight 8-bit signals as one block and identifying control codes using the block information code and sequentially mapping the control codes beginning from the starting point of the block.
 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a number of bits of the extra memory capacity is determined as a value calculated by subtracting a number of bits of the data code and the block information code from the total number of bits of the 8B10B line-coded signal before decoding.
 9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a framing step of forming a frame by mapping a plurality of blocks, into which the FEC data is mapped, to a Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) frame.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the framing step includes a step of creating an overhead signal and mapping the overhead signal into the extra memory capacity.
 11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, before the decoding step, a step of splitting the 8B10B line-coded signal into a plurality of parallel signals.
 12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising a step of multiplexing the frame into a serial signal. 